For my townhome project I'm hoping I can get away with only using a single wireless access point to achieve coverage throughout the building. The approximate dimensions are 45' deep by 23' wide, with 3 floors total (finished basement, main level, second floor). Assuming I place the router on the main level in the center of the building, that means that no device should be more than 25' away (although the signal would have to travel between floors).

What I'm wondering about is how the signal is transmitted in flat WAPs with internal antennas, such as the ones Linksys and Netgear are making now. Is it transmitted in an equal sphere around the device, or is it directed towards the top & sides of the unit but not the bottom? Knowing this will let me know if I should install it on the ceiling horizontally or on the wall vertically, or to point it in a particular direction.

You're going to get a lot of subjective answers here. But wireless signals are susceptible to reflection and refraction, depending on what material they are traveling through. You probably won't find a right answer here-- it's all going to be trial and error to find the proper harmony.

Unless there is some sort of dish or flat reflective surface in the router to allow a "directional" beam to be transmitted, the signal is going to be omnidirectional, thus weakened to travel in all directions. A little tilt or twist might allow it to reflect slightly better around corners or past copper pipes in the middle of the floors. But if you are just going through OSB flooring it should be fine.

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I have one of the flat Linksys routers at home mounted vertically in my closet next to the smart box. It seems to have coverage in all directions (mine is a 6 antenna dual band router). I have signal over the whole house, front and back yards.

Depending on the materials in the building and possible wireless noise in your area, there is a good chance that this will work.

I would recommend going with an access point where you could change the antenna or adjust where they point at least. I have had great luck with TP-Link wireless, most times using one in the middle of the house would cover all of it (we used these for the home automation systems we installed and never had a problem.)

You're going to get a lot of subjective answers here. But wireless signals are susceptible to reflection and refraction, depending on what material they are traveling through. You probably won't find a right answer here-- it's all going to be trial and error to find the proper harmony.

Unless there is some sort of dish or flat reflective surface in the router to allow a "directional" beam to be transmitted, the signal is going to be omnidirectional, thus weakened to travel in all directions. A little tilt or twist might allow it to reflect slightly better around corners or past copper pipes in the middle of the floors. But if you are just going through OSB flooring it should be fine.

@ Sloopy, the reason why I suspected some sort of directional orientation is because instruction manuals of earlier versions of WAPs with external, movable antennas stated that the antennas should be pointed vertically for best signal distribution. I didn't know if that sort of functionality was in play now that the antennas are internal and the instruction manuals for both the Linksys and Netgear units weren't very specific about direction or orientation anymore, just general placement.

@ Sloopy, the reason why I suspected some sort of directional orientation is because instruction manuals of earlier versions of WAPs with external, movable antennas stated that the antennas should be pointed vertically for best signal distribution. I didn't know if that sort of functionality was in play now that the antennas are internal and the instruction manuals for both the Linksys and Netgear units weren't very specific about direction or orientation anymore, just general placement.

I'm not sure exactly how they would position. Each vendor might have their own way. I've seen in laptops with the built-in wireless cards that they run the antenna's around the edge of the monitor. It might be a similar fashion in a router where they just line the perimeter with the antenna.

At my office we've got a Cisco and they alleged that the optimal signal propogation would be achieved by mounting it horizontally from the drop ceiling. Personally I believe I got better performance when it was vertically mounted. (Actually when it was vertically "mounted" is was just sitting on its side leaded up against the wall on a counter)

I do not though, know the polarization of the antenna in relation to the mounting.

I always recommend placing the device in an open area. I find that giving ~ 2-3 feet of clearance from any walls or obstructions helps with signal penetration. If you can find a mounting solution that gives the most clear room in all directions the better.